On Sunday afternoon, October 13, 2024, an alleged Israeli airstrike hit Al Falouja school, in the Jabalia Refugee Camp in North Gaza, killing at least one civilian and injuring others. Two others killed in the airstrike have been recorded with a contested civilian status.

The victim was named as Abdul Rahman Abdul Qader Muhammad Saleh.

Two other men, Rafat Musa Sakib Mahna (Abu Musa) and Amir Majdi Wajih Muslim were referred to on social media as “mujahid”, which is often (though not exclusively) taken to mean a member of an armed group, or a fighter. Posts by Khalil Saleem, Hamza Mohanna, Ahmed Mehna were among those using this term to describe the men. Amir was described as a “young mujahid” by Facebook user Khalil Saleem and a “fighter” by Facebook user Mohamed Abo Daher, while user Ahmed Mehna spoke of his cousin Rafat as a “mujahid leader”. Due to these references, Airwars has counted Amir as a contested civilian.

Hamza Mohanna, too, referred to Rafat as “the leader and Mujahid,” while Facebook user Ghasan Mustafa al-Najjar mentioned that Rafat was employed in the military finance department. Under international humanitarian law, the legality of killing someone affiliated with the financing and/or financial organisation of a militant group depends on a number of factors, including whether the individual was a uniformed member of the group, versus a civilian carrying out a civil service for an armed group. As it is unclear which category Rafat falls into, and as the categorisation of such an individual is generally quite difficult to determine, Airwars has counted Rafat, like Amir, as having ‘contested’ status, counting both Amir and Rafat in the upper ranges for both civilians and militants killed in this incident. This categorisation will be updated should more information come to light.

Initially, most sources reported only two victims, while outlets like Al Jazeera Masr, Al Niel al-Akhbar and Falastin Post did not specify a number. Meanwhile, Al-Ghad TV reported that displaced people inside the school were calling for the urgent arrival of ambulances and civil defence teams to transport the wounded to the hospital. Al-Ghad TV correspondent also added that the school was serving as a shelter for numerous Palestinians displaced from various areas and that the school was struck by more than one missile.

The three deceased mentioned above were confirmed to have been taken to Kamal Adwan Hospital, according to the posts of Muhammad Mahmoud and Mansa Elamia Mahmoud Abu Zanada on Facebook.

Various photos shared online showed the destruction left by the strike, with people digging through the rubble.

The local time of the incident was around 1:32 pm, according to the Palestinian Press Agency Safa. A video posted on Facebook by Nasamat Rouhania, confirmed that the explosion occurred during daylight hours and Gaza Sand News Agency indicated in its article that it happened in the afternoon.

Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.